During the Bush administration, both the Senate and the House of Representatives passed the historic hate crime bill, dubbed the Matthew Shepard Act, that would outlaw hate crimes based on both sexual orientation and gender identity. But the legislation never made it to Bush’s desk because of his veto threat. On Thursday the bill got closer to finally passing after the Senate passed the groundbreaking legislation, readying it for Obama’s signature.
Obama has pledged to sign the measure, which was added to a $680 billion defense authorization bill.
The bill is named for Matthew Shepard, a gay Wyoming teenager who was kidnapped and beaten to death in October 1998 simply because of his sexual orientation.
"Knowing that the president will sign it, unlike his predecessor, has made all the hard work this year to pass it worthwhile," said Judy Shepard, board president of the Matthew Shepard Foundation named for her son. "Hate crimes continue to affect far too many Americans who are simply trying to live their lives honestly, and they need to know that their government will protect them from violence, and provide appropriate justice for victims and their families."
Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, called the measure "our nation's first major piece of civil rights legislation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people."
"Too many in our community have been devastated by hate violence," Solmonese said in a statement. "We now can begin the important steps to erasing hate in our country."
When Obama signs, the move will be a step toward the fulfillment of promises he’s made to the gay community. Earlier this month Obama told the HRC, the country's largest gay rights group, that the nation still needs to make significant changes to ensure equal rights for gays and lesbians.
"Despite the progress we've made, there are still laws to change and hearts to open," he said during his address at the dinner for the Human Rights Campaign. "This fight continues now, and I'm here with the simple message: I'm here with you in that fight."
To this point, Obama has called for the repeal of the ban on gays serving openly in the military, the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, and has urged Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (which defines marriage, for federal purposes, as a legal union between a man and a woman) and pass the Domestic Partners Benefit and Obligations Act (which would extend family benefits now available to heterosexual federal employees to gay and lesbian federal workers).
The legislation has received opposition from religious conservatives who allege that the expansion of hate crimes protections threatens the religious liberties of those who publicly condemn homosexuality. Do you agree?
The District of Columbia and 47 states have anti-hate crime laws, however only 24 states and the District of Columbia include sexual orientation in their legislation.
According to FBI hate crime statistics, there were 7,621 reported hate crimes in 2007. 16.6% of which were based on sexual orientation. Most were violent in nature.
Religious conservatives allege that Congress's expansion of hate crimes protections to include gays threatens the religious liberties of those who publicly condemn homosexuality. You:
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why do they need extra protection? ..because historically minorities have accumulated a disadvantage as opposed to whites' cumulative advantage. There are institutions and structures that systematically favor the white and wealthy, thus minorities and lower classes deserve the "extra" help.